The orthodox ceremony celebrating the Way of the Cross, marking Jesus Christ’s final journey, had an incredible effect this year. As part of the Good Friday service in the Colosseum, he reflected on the self-evident principles of Christianity and blended them with the fears and challenges of contemporary society in the 21st century.
God’s Economy: A Counterpoint to Modern Systems
His Holiness develops the concept of “God’s economy,” which stands in stark contrast to the socio-economic realities of our contemporary world, as one of the central ideas of his study. In his meditations, he starkly opposes “God’s economy” to the capitalist social order, especially to the economic policies based on calculation and algorithms, of cold logic and implacable interests. He is convinced that modern economies do disregard everything relating to personal welfare and human relationships, the human cost, as well as the value of human connection.
The Human Exodus: A Journey Towards A New World
Francis has to say regarding the journey towards Golgotha that it is “our exodus to a new land.” To ellipse this notion, it is a journey of transformation that stems from shifting towards a positive direction, needing us to “perceive the goodness of His traces.” He explains that the Crossbearer is not merely a motor but a “prayer of people in the shift,” which is a displacement of the “normal way of living life.”
The Cost of Love: Gratuitousness in a Calculated World
In an environment that “calculates everything,” the Pope concedes that selflessness is one important act and “gratuitousness comes at a dear price.” Nevertheless, he states that it is at such giving and sacrifice where “everything blossoms anew.” For example, he cites reconciliation in divided cities and spirituality as exemplifying the selfless love as the force behind renewal.
The Gift of Freedom: Choices and Responsibilities
In the first station, Jesus, condemned to death, makes us retrace our steps with the onset of suffering Jesus endured. “It makes us reflect on the dramatic interplay of our individual freedoms,” as the Pope puts it. There is so much power that is left to us by God in trust, but with a kind of trust that is too strong, as Pope Francis has put it, holy restlessness. It is in this trust that Latin American People’s Theology guides us towards just acts like ‘freeing the enslaved, freeing the unjustly accused, judging complicated things, and dismantling judgments that murder,’ and many others. In loss of freedom, we become ‘prisoners,’ as he puts it, to our own fears and roles. ” And in these so-called freedoms, we forget to think.”
Falling and Rising: The Human Adventure
In the instance of The Third Station, Jesus’s first fall offers a lesson on humility and endurance. “The Way of the Cross is traced close to the earth because the mighty withdraw from it, yearning for heaven. But heaven hangs low, and we can find it even in our falls,” is captured in the words of the Pope. As Christ journeys with frequent falls and risings, it reflects our human experience of succumbing to sin, conversion, wandering off, returning, losing life, and being reborn. In the instance, Francis reminds us that we are sculpted“ humans—“handcrafted”—walking” with us are grace and defeat, and even Jesus, for becoming “one of us,” had no fear of tripping.
Surprising Encounters: The Unexpected Lightness of God’s Works
The interaction with Simon of Cyrene (Station V), who willingly aids in the bearing of Christ’s cross, vividly illustrates the surprising ways we can encounter service. The Pope depicts Christ’s ‘yoke’ as ‘easy and His burden light,’ emphasizing the joy that comes with participation in God’s work, which metaphorically refers to ‘plowing the earth so that it might be sown anew. This is astonishing, as throughout Sacred Scripture God is never portrayed as a light-hearted, incorporeal being. Understanding God’s purpose for an individual’s life highlights the sadness of a lack of reason. Without purpose toward divinity, life’s ‘toil is in vain.’
The Women of the Passion: Discipleship and Love Until the End
Stations IV, VI, and VIII concentrate on Mary and Veronica and the daughters of Jerusalem. The portrayal of discipleship that Mary is granted is described as ‘a continuous discovery,’ not a sacrifice owing to God’s grace and God’s promises. The pope urges daughters of Jerusalem and humanity not to grieve Christ but rather to ask for “themselves and their children” enduring love that surpasses even death.
Hope in the Face of Despair: Awaiting the Kingdom
Joseph of Arimathea is “a good, just man… waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God,” suggesting hope at Station XIII. In Joseph’s action of taking Christ’s body, he symbolically refuses to accept defeat and inspires us all to surmount our “great responsibilities.”
The Silence of Holy Saturday: A Lesson in Waiting
Lastly, the lesson of hope and anticipation attributed to the Sabbath silence of Holy Saturday is set forth in 14. “Laid in the tomb,” Christ too shares our fear of the unknown, teaching us how to wait, how to rest, and how to prepare for the “resurrection peace”.
Conversion and Hope
The final meditation expresses very freely the prayer beside which Saint Francis of Assisi explains, “So praise be to you, my Lord,” in the canticle “Laudato Sì.” The Pope desires a “heartfelt conversion.” It turns to love of God, which, as Saint Paul wrote, “nothing can ever ‘separate us’ from.” The goal of the prayer is to petition for enlightened faith, charity, humility, wisdom, and strength to fulfill the will of God.
Pope Francis focuses on deep movements through meditation while simultaneously augmenting faith and reflecting on the steps Christ took throughout history, highlighting their significance for today’s world.
